NBA Summer League TV Schedule 2012: When and Where to Catch All the Vegas Action

The games may not technically count for anything, but don't tell that to the various rookies and young players looking to make impacts in the NBA Summer League.

Things get started in Las Vegas on Friday, and although winning may not be the main objective for many of the players, showing that they belong in the NBA will be.

Many of the game's biggest stars got their starts in the NBA Summer League before they ever played official NBA games. The NBA regular season is obviously a completely different animal, but the Summer League allows inexperienced players to compete against their peers and has become a measuring stick of sorts to see how prepared the newcomers really are.

Here is everything you need to know about this year's NBA Summer League slate, including when and where to catch all the action, as well as which players you should be paying special attention to.

Heading into the draft, many believed that Kansas power forward Thomas Robinson would be the No. 2 pick, behind Davis. That didn't come to fruition, however, as Robinson slid all the way to No. 5 before the Sacramento Kings snatched him up.

Many considered that pick to be one of the biggest steals of the draft, but now Robinson has to prove that to be true.

Robinson is an intense player who always puts forth maximum effort, so I have to believe he will enter the NBA Summer League with a chip on his shoulder. Four teams passed him up in the draft, and he will be out to prove that was a big mistake.

Robinson can dominate in the paint offensively or on the boards defensively, so Kings fans will be monitoring those two things very closely.

Damian Lillard

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Coming out of tiny Weber State, there are a lot of question marks surrounding Damian Lillard. The Portland Trail Blazers took the explosive point guard with the No. 6 pick in the draft and hope that his dominance in the Big Sky Conference carries over to the NBA.

Lillard was a high-volume scorer with distribution capability in college, but the level of competition will be significantly higher in the NBA Summer League. Lillard rarely played against his rookie counterparts in college and was usually lighting up inferior opponents.

The Summer League will give him an opportunity to show that he is just as talented as anyone, though.

The Blazers also have a starting spot up for grabs at point guard, so if Lillard can outperform teammate Nolan Smith, then he has a great chance to receive big minutes immediately.